Automated packaging machine

ABSTRACT

An automatic packaging machine for enclosing packages in a pliable film includes a conveyor for moving a package through the packaging machine, an end seal bar configured to cut and/or seal a pliable film transversely to a longitudinal axis of the pliable film, and first and second side sealers disposed on opposite sides of the conveyor and configured to cut the pliable film along the longitudinal axis of the pliable film. The side sealers are automatically moved in a vertical direction to align the side sealers with a centerline of the package. The side sealers are also automatically moved in a horizontal direction to approximate a known width of the package.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to packaging machines, and more particularly to an automated packaging machine that enshrouds variously sized items with a loose packaging material.

BACKGROUND

A typical bagging and in-line shrink wrap packaging machine conveys packages towards a cutting and sealing area by an in-feed conveyor. As the packages are moved towards the cutting and sealing area, the packages are surrounded by center folded polymer or shrink wrap film that has been partially unfolded so that the packages may be conveyed between the film layers. Subsequently, the packages are transferred to an exit conveyor where the packages move to a designated sealing and cutting location.

At the sealing and cutting location, it is typical to stop the forward movement of the exit conveyor and use a hot knife or hot wire system to longitudinally and laterally seal the layers of polymer film and to sever the film between adjacent packages at the lateral or cross seal. The end result of the cutting and sealing operations are packages that are securely enclosed or “bagged” within polymer film. After the packages are bagged, the exit conveyor is again activated and the packages are typically either packed for shipping or are further conveyed to a shrink wrap tunnel or oven, where the film is heated causing it to shrink over the packages thereby securely wrapping the packages.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure, an automatic packaging machine for enclosing packages in a pliable film is provided. The automatic packaging machine includes a conveyor for moving a package along a horizontal path through the packaging machine, an end seal bar configured to at least one of cut or seal a pliable film along an axis that is perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the pliable film, and first and second side sealers disposed on opposite sides of the conveyor. The side sealers are configured to cut the pliable film along the longitudinal axis of the pliable film. The side sealers are configured to automatically adjust a vertical position thereof based on a known height of the package and automatically adjust a horizontal distance between the first and second side sealers based on a known width of the package.

In aspects, the automatic packaging machine may further include a sensor for determining the height and width of the package.

In aspects, the automatic packaging machine may further include a controller in communication with the sensor and configured to receive the determined height and width of the package from the sensor. The controller may be configured to affect a movement of the first and second side sealers vertically and horizontally based on the determined height and width of the package, respectively.

In aspects, the sensor may be a dimension light barrier sensor.

In aspects, the automatic packaging machine may further include a vertical rail supporting at least the first side sealer, and a horizontal rail. The first side sealer may be configured to move in a vertical direction along an axis of the vertical rail. The first side sealer may be configured to move in a horizontal direction along an axis of the horizontal rail.

In aspects, the first side sealer may include an upper assembly including a drive motor having a rotatable drive shaft, an upper first pulley, an upper second pulley horizontally spaced from the upper first pulley, an upper drive belt drivingly coupled to the upper first and second pulleys, and a knife disposed between the first and second pulleys. The upper first pulley may be non-rotatably coupled to the rotatable drive shaft, such that the upper first pulley rotates with a rotation of the rotatable drive shaft. The knife may be configured to cut the pliable film as the pliable film is transmitted past the knife via the upper drive belt.

In aspects, the first side sealer may include a lower assembly including a drive motor having a rotatable drive shaft, a lower first pulley, a lower second pulley horizontally spaced from the lower first pulley, and a lower drive belt drivingly coupled to the lower first and second pulleys. The lower first pulley may be non-rotatably coupled to the rotatable drive shaft of the lower assembly, such that the lower first pulley rotates with a rotation of the rotatable drive shaft of the lower assembly. The lower drive belt may be in opposing relation with the upper drive belt.

In aspects, the automatic packaging machine may further include first and second jaw members disposed in front of the upper and lower assemblies. The first and second jaw members may be configured to move between a spaced-apart configuration in which the pliable film is received therebetween, and a closed configuration to guide the pliable film to between the upper and lower drive belts.

In aspects, each of the first and second jaw members may include front and rear pulleys and a belt operably coupled to the front and rear pulleys.

In aspects, the automatic packaging machine may further include a trim belt disposed alongside of the upper drive belt and configured to receive a trimmed portion of the pliable film from the upper drive belt and to discard the trimmed portion.

In aspects, the automatic packaging machine may further include first and second jaw members disposed in front of the first side sealer. The first and second jaw members may be configured to move between a spaced-apart configuration in which the pliable film is received therebetween, and a closed configuration to guide the pliable film into the first side sealer.

In aspects, the automatic packaging machine may further include a trim belt disposed alongside of the first side sealer and configured to receive a trimmed portion of the pliable film from the first side sealer and to discard of the trimmed portion.

In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, an automatic packaging machine for enclosing packages in a pliable film is provided. The automatic packaging machine includes a conveyor for moving a package along a horizontal path through the packaging machine, an end seal bar configured to at least one of cut or seal a pliable film along an axis that is perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the pliable film, a first side sealer disposed alongside the conveyor and configured to cut the pliable film along an axis that is parallel with the longitudinal axis of the pliable film, a sensor configured to determine a height and width of a package, and a controller in communication with the sensor. The controller is configured to adjust a vertical distance between the first side sealer and the package based on the determined height of the package to align the first side sealer with a centerline of the package. The controller is further configured to adjust a horizontal distance between the first side sealer and the package based on the determined width of the package.

In aspects, the first side sealer may include an upper assembly including a drive motor having a rotatable drive shaft, an upper drive belt drivingly coupled to the rotatable drive shaft, and a knife disposed alongside the upper drive belt. The knife may be configured to cut the pliable film as the pliable film is transmitted past the knife via the upper drive belt.

In aspects, the first side sealer may include a lower assembly including a drive motor having a rotatable drive shaft, and a lower drive belt drivingly coupled to the rotatable drive shaft of the lower assembly. The lower drive belt may be in opposing relation with the upper drive belt.

In aspects, the automatic packaging machine may further include first and second jaw members disposed in front of the upper and lower assemblies. The first and second jaw members may be configured to move between a spaced-apart configuration in which the pliable film is received therebetween, and a closed configuration to guide the pliable film to between the upper and lower drive belts.

In aspects, the automatic packaging machine may further include a trim belt disposed alongside of the first side sealer and configured to receive a trimmed portion of the pliable film from the first side sealer and to discard the trimmed portion.

In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, a method of encasing a package in a pliable film is provided. The method includes conveying a package along a horizontal path to engage a leading end portion of the package with a leading end portion of a pliable film; severing a trailing end portion of the pliable film along an axis that is perpendicular to the horizontal path, thereby forming a discrete segment of the pliable film; automatically adjusting a vertical position of first and second side sealers relative to the package based on a predetermined height of the package; automatically adjusting a horizontal distance between the first and second side sealers based on a predetermined width of the package; and guiding first and second lateral sides of the discrete segment of the pliable film into the respective first and second side sealers, whereby the first and second side sealers sever the first and second lateral sides of the discrete segment of the pliable film.

As used herein, the terms parallel and perpendicular are understood to include relative configurations that are substantially parallel and substantially perpendicular up to about + or −20 degrees from true parallel and true perpendicular.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will become more readily apparent from the specific description accompanied by the following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front, perspective view illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a packaging machine;

FIG. 2 is a front, perspective view illustrating a vertical end sealer of the packaging machine;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the vertical end sealer of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4A is a side, perspective view illustrating a first side sealer unit of the packaging machine;

FIG. 4B is an enlarged perspective view illustrating vertical and horizontal rails slidably supporting the first side sealer unit;

FIG. 5A is an alternate side, perspective view, with parts removed, of the first side sealer unit of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 5B is the alternate side, perspective view, with parts removed, of the first side sealer unit of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 5C is the alternate side, perspective view of the first side sealer unit of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged side, perspective view, with parts removed, illustrating the side sealer unit of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of components of the side sealer unit of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a rear, perspective view illustrating a trim assembly of the packaging machine;

FIG. 9A is a top view of the packaging machine illustrating the side sealer units laterally spaced from one another a first distance; and

FIG. 9B is a top view of the packaging machine illustrating the side sealer units laterally spaced from one another a second distance, less than the first distance.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure may be understood more readily by reference to the following detailed description of the disclosure taken in connection with the accompanying drawing figures, which form a part of this disclosure. It is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the specific devices, methods, conditions or parameters described and/or shown herein, and that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments by way of example only and is not intended to be limiting of the claimed disclosure. Also, as used in the specification and including the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include the plural, and reference to a particular numerical value includes at least that particular value, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Ranges may be expressed herein as from “about” or “approximately” one particular value and/or to “about” or “approximately” another particular value. When such a range is expressed, another embodiment includes from the one particular value and/or to the other particular value. Similarly, when values are expressed as approximations, by use of the antecedent “about,” it will be understood that the particular value forms another embodiment. It is also understood that all spatial references, such as, for example, horizontal, vertical, top, upper, lower, bottom, left and right, are for illustrative purposes only and can be varied within the scope of the disclosure. For example, the references “upper” and “lower” are relative and used only in the context to the other, and are not necessarily “superior” and “inferior”.

The present disclosure generally provides a packaging machine for encasing packages of a variety of shapes and sizes in a packaging material (e.g., a pliable plastic film). The machine has an end sealer that performs a transverse cut and seal of the packaging material at a location behind the package, and a pair of side sealers that perform longitudinal cuts of the packaging material along opposite sides of the package. The side sealers are supported on rails and are moved along the rails by motors to adjust the vertical and horizontal positions of the side sealers relative to the package. The side sealers are moved vertically (e.g., an up and down direction) to ensure cutting of the packaging material occurs at the center line of the package rather than at a top or bottom of the package. The side sealers are moved horizontally (e.g., a sideways direction) to perform the lateral cuts close to the sides of the package. The machine may further include a three-dimensional sensor for determining the width and height of the package. A controller receives the dimensions of the package from the sensor to adjust the vertical and horizontal positions of the side sealers to match the width and height of the package to create a perfect fit-to-size packaging when random size products are fed automatically.

With reference to FIG. 1, an exemplary automatic packaging machine 10 for encasing a package “P” in a packaging material is illustrated. The packaging machine 10 generally includes a housing 12 defining a tunnel 14 therethrough, a conveyor belt 16 extending through the tunnel 14 and supported by a framework 18, top and bottom film roll units 20, 22, a dimension scanner or sensor 24, a vertical end sealer 26, a pair of side sealers 100, 200 (FIGS. 9A and 9B), and a trim discharge unit 300 (FIGS. 9A and 9B). The conveyor belt 16 may be one continuous conveyor belt or a series of successive belts arranged linearly. Other conveyance systems are also contemplated, such as, for example, roller conveyors.

The top and bottom film roll units 20, 22 are slidably received in the housing 12 and are disposed above and below the conveyor belt 16, respectively. The film roll units 20, 22 may be slidable along a track supported within the housing 12. The film roll units 20, 22 are each configured to rotatably support an elongated roll of pliable plastic film 30, 32 (collectively referenced herein with reference character “F”), such as, for example, polyolefin, plastic optical fiber, polyethylene, oriented polypropylene, unoriented polypropylene, polypropylene, or the like. It is contemplated that an end of the lower film 32 may be passed upwardly through a break in the conveyor belt 16 to be sealed with an end of the upper film 30 to form a leading end of the casing.

With continued reference to FIG. 1, the sensor 24 may be disposed at an entrance of the tunnel 14 and suspended, by the frame 18, above the conveyor belt 16. The sensor 24 may be a dimension light barrier sensor for measuring the height and width of each package “P” that passes through the tunnel 14. Other types of sensors are also contemplated. The packaging machine 10 further includes a controller 34 in communication with the sensor 24 and configured to receive the determined height and width of the package “P” from the sensor 24. The controller 34 is configured to effect a movement of the vertical end seal bar 26 and the first and second side sealers 100, 200 (FIGS. 9A and 9B) based on the determined height and width of the package “P,” respectively, as will be described in further detail below. In aspects, rather than having a central controller or processor 34 for receiving the height and width information from the sensor 24, each of the vertical end seal bar 26 and the side sealers 100, 200 may be equipped with a controller for directing movement thereof.

With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the vertical end seal bar 26 extends perpendicularly relative to a horizontal path of the conveyor belt 16. The vertical end seal bar 26 includes an elongated outer housing 36 that houses an elongate inner housing 38. The inner housing 38 may be slidably supported in the outer housing 36 by a plurality of vertically extending posts 40. The elongated inner housing 38 has an elongated knife 42 fixed thereto. The inner housing 38 is configured to move the elongated knife 42 relative to the outer housing 36 between a first position, in which the elongated knife 42 is recessed within the outer housing 36, and a second position, in which the knife 42 protrudes downwardly from the outer housing 36 for forming a transverse cut through the pliable film “F.” In some aspects, the knife 42 may also function as a heating element by receiving an electric current therethrough. By generating heat, in addition to performing a cutting function, the knife 42 melts the pliable film “F,” thereby forming a seal between the leading ends of the top and bottom films 30, 32 (FIG. 1).

An elongated anvil 44 is provided in overlapping alignment with the end seal bar 26. When the end seal bar 26 is moved into engagement with the anvil 44, the outer housing 36 of the end seal bar 26 contacts the anvil 44 preventing further downward advancement of the outer housing 36, whereby a continued downward force applied on the end seal bar 26 causes the inner housing 38 and the attached elongated knife 42 to move downwardly relative to the outer housing 36 from the first position to the second position to cut and seal the top and bottom films 30, 32. The anvil 44 may have a silicon bed for absorbing the opposite power of the end seal bar 26 and to create a soft surface area for better sealing application. The anvil 44 may have a Teflon tape applied to the silicon bed to reduce adherence of any residual material of the film to the anvil 44 during sealing.

The end seal bar 26 is configured to be moved in a vertical direction (e.g., an up or down direction that is perpendicular to the travel path of the package “P”) via a belt drive 46. For example, the belt drive 46 may include a motor 47, a pulley 50, and a belt 48 drivingly coupled to the motor 47. An end of the inner housing 38 of the end seal bar 26 has a bracket 52 that is fixed to the belt 48 such that as the belt 48 is moved around the rotating pulley 50, the end seal bar 26 moves in the vertical direction.

With reference to FIGS. 4A-6, the packaging machine 10 includes a first pair of top and bottom jaw members 56, 58 disposed on a first side of the conveyor belt 16, and a second pair of top and bottom jaw members 60, 62 (FIG. 2) disposed on a second, opposite side of the conveyor belt 26. Since the first and second pair of jaw members 56, 58 and 60, 62 are similar or identical, only the first pair of jaw members 56, 58 will be described in detail. The first pair of jaw members 56, 58 are disposed behind the end seal bar 26 and in front of the first side sealer 100. As such, the first pair of jaw members 56, 58 receive a leading end portion of the film “F” after the leading end portion of the film “F” passes the end seal bar 26.

Each of the top and bottom jaw members 56, 58 has a leading end portion and a trailing end portion. The leading end portions of the top and bottom jaw members 56, 68 are pivotably coupled to upper and lower plates 78, 80, respectively (FIG. 7). First and second pneumatic actuators/cylinders 66, 68 are fixed to the plates 78, 80 and coupled to the respective top and bottom jaw members 56, 58. The pneumatic actuators 66, 68 are configured to move the top and bottom jaw members 56, 58 between a spaced-part configuration (FIGS. 4A-6) and an approximated configuration (not explicitly shown). Other mechanisms for pivoting the jaw members 56, 58 relative to one another are contemplated, such as, for example, a linear solenoid, a piezoelectric actuator, a hydraulic actuator, a geared mechanism, a drive screw, a belt drive, or the like. The pneumatic actuators 56, 58 may be in communication with a sensor associated with at least one of the jaw members 56, 58, and which detects when the leading end portion of the pliable film “F” is between the jaw members 56, 58 and thereby prompts the actuation of the pneumatic actuators 66, 68 to close the jaw members 56, 58.

Each of the first and second jaw members 56, 58 includes front and rear pulleys 56 a, 56 b, 58 a, 58 b, such as, for example, spur gears, and a toothed belt 56 c, 58 c operably coupled to the front and rear pulleys 56 a, 56 b and 58 a, 58 b, respectively. A jaw drive assembly 153 (FIG. 5B) is provided that drives the rear pulleys 56 b, 58 b to transfer rotary motion to the respective belt 56 c, 58 c, as will be described in further detail below. As such, upon the pliable film “F” being received and clamped between the jaw members 56, 58, the belts 56 c, 58 c of the first and second jaw members 56, 58 facilitate transference of a lateral side of the pliable film “F” into the first side sealer 100.

With continued reference to FIGS. 4A-6, each side of the packaging machine 10 includes a pair of horizontal rails 70, a pair of vertical rails 72, and a base frame 73 (FIGS. 4A and 4B) slidably supported on the horizontal rails 70 and fixed to the vertical rails 72. The base frame 73 may include a pair of tracks 73 a, 73 b that slide along the horizontal rails 70. The first side sealer 100 is slidably supported on the vertical rails 72 and configured to slide relative to and along the vertical rails 72. A first electric motor 74 is drivingly coupled between the first side sealer 100 and the vertical rail 72 for driving vertical movement of the first side sealer 100 relative to the vertical rails 72. It is contemplated that any suitable means for adapting power from the first electric motor 74 into vertical translation of the first and second side sealers 100, 200. For example, the first electric motor 74 may be a hydraulic cylinder supported on the base frame 73 and operably coupled to the lower plate 80 such that actuation of the hydraulic cylinder 74 moves the first side sealer 100 vertically either toward or away from the base frame 73.

The packaging machine 10 further includes a single second motor 75 (FIG. 9B) for driving horizontal translation of both the first and second side sealers 100, 200. The second motor 75 may drive movement of a belt drive 77 (FIG. 4B and FIG. 9A) that extends across the packaging machine 10 and interconnects the first and second side sealer units 100, 200 to one another. Upon activation of the second motor, the belt drive 77 moves the first and second side sealers 100, 200 either closer to one another or further apart from one another. The second electric motor is drivingly coupled between the horizontal rail 70 and the base frame 73 for driving horizontal movement of the base frame 73, the vertical rail 72, and the attached first side sealer 100 relative to and along the horizontal rail 70.

The first and second electric motors 74 are in communication with the controller 34 (FIG. 1). The controller 34 receives the height and width information about a package “P” and directs the first and second motors 74 to adjust the vertical and horizontal positions of the first side sealers 100, 200 accordingly. In aspects, the vertical rail 72 may be fixed to a framework, whereas the horizontal rail 70 supports the side sealer 100 and slides along the vertical rail 72.

Various alternative transmission assemblies are contemplated for transferring power from the motors into horizontal and vertical movement of the side sealers 100, 200, such as, for example, an electrical system having an electric switch and a solenoid, a geared system, etc.

With reference to FIGS. 4A-7, details of the first side sealer 100 will be described. Since the first and second side sealers 100, 200 are identical or similar, details of the second side sealer 200 will not be described. The first side sealer 100 includes an upper assembly 102 and a lower assembly 104 supported on respective upper and lower plates 78, 80 of a hub 64. The hub 64 includes front and rear carrier plates 79, 81 (FIG. 5C) that are spaced from one another along the machining path. The upper assembly 102 includes a drive motor 106 having a rotatable drive shaft 108, an upper rear/leading pulley 110 non-rotatably coupled to an end of the rotatable drive shaft 108, an upper front/trailing pulley 112, an upper drive belt 114 drivingly coupled to the pulleys 110, 112, and a knife 116 (FIG. 7).

With reference to FIGS. 5A-8, the drive shaft 108 of the first motor 106 extends transversely through the upper plate 78 and non-rotatably supports the rear or leading pulley 110 (FIG. 6) such that the upper rear pulley 110 rotates with a rotation of the rotatable drive shaft 108. The front pulley 112 is spaced in front of the rear pulley 110 and adjacent and in rearward relation to the rear pulley 56 b of the upper jaw member 56. The upper drive belt 114 has a plurality of teeth defined on an inner side thereof that meshingly engage teeth on the pulleys 110, 112. In aspects, an idler or tension pulley 118 may be provided for adjusting the tension in the belt 114.

With reference to FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 6, the front pulley 112 is non-rotatably coupled to a first end of an upper driven shaft 120. The driven shaft 120 is rotatably supported in the upper plate 78 and extends transversely through the upper plate 78. The driven shaft 120 has a second end that non-rotatably supports a first pulley 153 a of the jaw drive assembly 153 for rotating belt 56 c of upper jaw member 56. The second end of the driven shaft 120 also non-rotatably supports a front pulley 152 a (FIG. 5B) of an upper trim belt assembly 150, as will be described in further detail below. The jaw drive assembly 153 further includes a second pulley 153 b and a belt 153 c that transfers rotational motion from first pulley 153 a to second pulley 153 b. A tension pulley 153 d may be provided for tensioning the belt 153 c. The second pulley 153 b is non-rotatably supported on a first end of another drive shaft 155 that extends transversely through upper plate 78. The leading pulley 56 b (FIG. 6) of the upper jaw member 56 is non-rotatably supported on a second end of the drive shaft 155 such that rotation of the first pulley 153 a, via rotation of the driven shaft 120, causes belt 56 c ofjaw member 56 to travel.

The lower assembly 104 of the first side sealer 100 includes a second drive motor 122 (FIG. 5A), distinct from the first drive motor 106 of the upper assembly 102, a lower rear pulley 124 non-rotatably coupled to an end of a rotatable drive shaft 126 of the second motor 122, a lower front pulley 128, and a lower drive belt 130 drivingly coupled to the lower pulleys 124, 128. The drive shaft 126 of the second motor 122 extends transversely through the lower plate 80 and non-rotatably supports the lower rear pulley 124 such that the lower rear pulley 124 rotates with a rotation of the rotatable drive shaft 126. The front pulley 128 is spaced in front of the rear pulley 124 and is disposed adjacent and behind the rear pulley 58 b of the lower jaw member 58.

The lower drive belt 130 has a plurality of teeth defined on an inner side thereof that meshingly engage teeth on the lower pulleys 124, 128. In aspects, an idler pulley 132 may be provided to adjust a tension of the belt 130. The lower drive belt 130 is in opposing relation with the upper drive belt 114 of the upper assembly 102. As such, the upper and lower drive belts 114, 130 together define a passageway 140 (FIG. 7) therebetween that is aligned with a passageway 142 defined between the jaw members 56, 58 to receive the lateral side of the film “F” from the jaw members 56, 58. The front pulley 128 is non-rotatably coupled to a first end of a lower driven shaft 134. The driven shaft 134 is rotatably supported in the lower plate 80 and extends transversely through the lower plate 80. The lower driven shaft 134 has a second end that non-rotatably supports a front pulley 137 (FIG. 7) of a lower trim belt assembly 160, as will be described in further detail below.

With a conventional one-motor method, a side sealing unit is carried by one monobloc plate. The whole system is fixed to this block. With a monobloc solution, wide trims cannot be discharged easily; they get stuck between the rollers of the side sealer due to the lack of space. However, with the two-motor solution of the present disclosure, the upper and the lower assemblies 102, 104 of the sealing unit 100 are separated and the pulleys 110, 112, 124, 128 are fixed to two different leading and trailing C-shaped carrier plates 79, 81 (FIG. 5C). Through the space between the two plates 79, 81, the wide trims move without any problem. The lower plate 80 is fixed to the vertical rails 72 (FIG. 4B) and the upper plate 78 is fixed to the lower plate 80 through the carrier plates 79, 81. The central part of the carrier plates 79, 81 has an elongated cutout 83, 85 defined therein to allow for trim to be discharged therethrough. The cutouts 83, 85 in the carrier plates 79, 81 are long to allow for even long trims to pass without getting stuck. Hence, long trims (e.g., for short packages) can pass the side sealers with ease.

The knife 116 (FIG. 7) of the first side sealer 100 may be disposed between the upper rear and front pulleys 110, 112 and alongside the upper drive belt 114. The knife 116 may be an elongated blade disposed within the passageway 140 to cut a lateral side of the film “F” as it passes thereby. In some aspects, the knife 116 may be configured to generate heat (e.g., by receiving an electric current) to effect a sealing of the lateral side of the film “F.”

With reference to FIGS. 4A-8, the upper and lower trim assemblies 150, 160 will now be described. The upper and lower trim assemblies 150, 160 are configured to receive the severed lateral sides (e.g., trimmed portion or trim) of the film “F” from the belts 114, 130 for discarding. The upper and lower trim assemblies 150, 160 are disposed partially in front of and laterally offset from the respective upper and lower assemblies 102, 104 of the first side sealer 100. Since the upper and lower trim assemblies 150, 160 are similar or identical, only details of the upper trim assembly 150 will be described herein.

The upper trim assembly 150 includes the front pulley 152 a, a rear pulley 152 b, and a trim belt 156 wrapped about the front and rear pulleys 152 a, 152 b. Since the front pulley 152 a of the upper trim assembly 150 is non-rotatably coupled to the upper driven shaft 120, as noted above, the rotary motion originating from the first motor 106 of the first side sealer 100 drives the movement of the trim belt 156. The trim belt 156 is configured to receive the trimmed lateral side of the film “F” that was severed by the knife 116. Upper and lower trim assemblies are also provided on the second side sealer 200, but will not be described in detail as they are identical or similar to the first upper and lower trim assemblies 150, 160. As can be appreciated, since each of the belt 56 c of the upper jaw member 56, the upper drive belt 114 of the side sealer 100, and the belt 156 of the upper trim assembly 150 are rotated by the motor 106, each of the belts 56 c, 114, and 156 rotate at the same speed.

With reference to FIGS. 9A and 9B, the packaging machine 10 further includes a trim discharge unit 300 configured to receive the severed lateral sides of the film “F” from the trim assemblies 150, 160. The trim discharge unit 300 includes a conveyor belt 302 disposed underneath a discharge chute 304 that conveys the severed lateral sides of the film “F” from the trim assemblies 150, 160 onto the conveyor belt 302. The conveyor belt 302 may extend generally transversely relative to the main conveyor belt 14.

In use, a product or package “P” is placed on the main conveyor belt 14 and is conveyed past the sensor 24, whereby the sensor 24 determines the width, height, and length of the package “P.” The package “P” contacts the plastic film “F” and pushes the lateral sides of the film “F” into between the jaw members 56, 58 and 60, 62 As can be appreciated, the leading ends of the top and bottom plastic films 30, 32 may already be sealed to one other from the end sealer 26 having processed a previous package. As a trailing end portion of the package “P” passes the end seal bar 26, the end seal bar 26 is driven vertically down toward the package “P” to simultaneously cut and seal the trailing end of the film “F.” It is contemplated that a sensor (not explicitly shown) may detect when the trailing end of the package “P” passes the end seal bar 26. The length of the film “F” is automatically set by the vertical seal bar 26 since it seals both the front and the back of the package “P.”

Since it is beneficial to create a center-lined sealing (e.g., sealing along a midpoint of the height of the package), the closing location of the jaw members 56, 58 occurs at the center of the package height to achieve a center-lined sealing. Similar to the vertical end seal bar 26, the two side sealers 100, 200 receive the width and the height information from the dimension scanner 24 and adapt their location on the horizontal and vertical axes. Once the width information is delivered to the side sealers 100, 200, they move towards the location where the sealing needs to occur. For example, the side sealers 100, 200 move horizontally closer to one another from a first position, as shown in FIG. 9A, to a second, closer position, as shown in FIG. 9B. It is contemplated that the side sealers 100, 200 either come closer or move apart from each other depending on the corresponding dimension. The sealing, therefore, is located at the center of the package “P.” The side sealers 100, 200 cut the lateral sides of the film “F” and transport the severed lateral sides to the trim belt assemblies 150, 160, which then discard the severed lateral sides of the film “F” to the discharge trim unit 300.

In aspects, a labeler may be provided behind the vertical seal bar 26. A barcode scanner may be provided that scans the products own barcode and the labeler applies an appropriate label to the sealed package. The labeler may be a print and apply labeler applicator that is connected to a database. Once the barcode of the product is scanned, the information can be matched with corresponding data at the database. Hence, information such as delivery address, customer name, product information can be printed on the label once connected to the database.

A weight-checker system may also be integrated into the packaging machine 10. This way the weight of the product can be printed on the label as well. In aspects, an additional barcode scanner can be adapted at the end on the packaging machine 10 after the product is packaged. If the information on the scanned good is not correct, the package can be discarded by a pusher system.

In one or more examples, the described techniques may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium and executed by a hardware-based processing unit. Computer-readable media may include non-transitory computer-readable media, which corresponds to a tangible medium such as data storage media (e.g., RAM, ROM, FFPROM, flash memory, or any other medium that can be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer).

Instructions may be executed by one or more processors, such as one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), general purpose microprocessors, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable logic arrays (FPGAs), or other equivalent integrated or discrete logic circuitry. Accordingly, the term “processor” or “controller” as used herein may refer to any of the foregoing structure or any other physical structure suitable for implementation of the described techniques. Also, the techniques could be fully implemented in one or more circuits or logic elements.

It will be understood that various modifications may be made to the embodiments disclosed herein. Therefore, the above description should not be construed as limiting, but merely as exemplification of the various embodiments. Those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope and spirit of the claims appended hereto. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An automatic packaging machine for enclosing packages in a pliable film, the automatic packaging machine comprising: a conveyor for moving a package along a horizontal path through the packaging machine; an end seal bar configured to at least one of cut or seal a pliable film along an axis that is perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the pliable film; and first and second side sealers disposed on opposite sides of the conveyor and configured to cut the pliable film along the longitudinal axis of the pliable film, wherein the first and second side sealers are configured to automatically adjust a vertical position thereof based on a known height of the package and automatically adjust a horizontal distance between the first and second side sealers based on a known width of the package.
 2. The automatic packaging machine according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor for determining the height and width of the package.
 3. The automatic packaging machine according to claim 2, further comprising a controller in communication with the sensor and configured to receive the determined height and width of the package from the sensor, wherein the controller is configured to effect a movement of the first and second side sealers vertically and horizontally based on the determined height and width of the package, respectively.
 4. The automatic packaging machine according to claim 2, wherein the sensor is a dimension light barrier sensor.
 5. The automatic packaging machine according to claim 1, further comprising: a vertical rail supporting at least the first side sealer, wherein the first side sealer is configured to move in a vertical direction along an axis of the vertical rail; and a horizontal rail, wherein at least the first side sealer is configured to move in a horizontal direction along an axis of the horizontal rail.
 6. The automatic packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein the first side sealer includes an upper assembly including: a drive motor having a rotatable drive shaft; an upper first pulley non-rotatably coupled to the rotatable drive shaft, such that the upper first pulley rotates with a rotation of the rotatable drive shaft; an upper second pulley horizontally spaced from the upper first pulley; an upper drive belt drivingly coupled to the upper first and second pulleys; and a knife disposed between the upper first and second pulleys and configured to cut the pliable film as the pliable film is transmitted past the knife via the upper drive belt.
 7. The automatic packaging machine according to claim 7, wherein the first side sealer includes a lower assembly including: a drive motor having a rotatable drive shaft; a lower first pulley non-rotatably coupled to the rotatable drive shaft of the lower assembly, such that the lower first pulley rotates with a rotation of the rotatable drive shaft of the lower assembly; a lower second pulley horizontally spaced from the lower first pulley; and a lower drive belt drivingly coupled to the lower first and second pulleys and in opposing relation with the upper drive belt.
 8. The automatic packaging machine according to claim 7, further comprising first and second jaw members disposed in front of the upper and lower assemblies, wherein the first and second jaw members are configured to move between a spaced-apart configuration in which the pliable film is received therebetween, and a closed configuration to guide the pliable film to between the upper and lower drive belts.
 9. The automatic packaging machine according to claim 8, wherein each of the first and second jaw members includes: front and rear pulleys; and a belt operably coupled to the front and rear pulleys.
 10. The automatic packaging machine according to claim 7, further comprising a trim belt disposed alongside of the upper drive belt and configured to receive a trimmed portion of the pliable film from the upper drive belt and to discard the trimmed portion.
 11. The automatic packaging machine according to claim 1, further comprising first and second jaw members disposed in front of the first side sealer, wherein the first and second jaw members are configured to move between a spaced-apart configuration in which the pliable film is received therebetween, and a closed configuration to guide the pliable film into the first side sealer.
 12. The automatic packaging machine according to claim 11, wherein each of the first and second jaw members includes: front and rear pulleys; and a belt operably coupled to the front and rear pulleys.
 13. The automatic packaging machine according to claim 1, further comprising a trim belt disposed alongside of the first side sealer and configured to receive a trimmed portion of the pliable film from the first side sealer and to discard of the trimmed portion.
 14. An automatic packaging machine for enclosing packages in a pliable film, the automatic packaging machine comprising: a conveyor for moving a package along a horizontal path through the packaging machine; an end seal bar configured to at least one of cut or seal a pliable film along an axis that is perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the pliable film; a first side sealer disposed alongside the conveyor and configured to cut the pliable film along an axis that is parallel with the longitudinal axis of the pliable film; a sensor configured to determine a height and width of a package; and a controller in communication with the sensor and configured to: adjust a vertical distance between the first side sealer and the package based on the determined height of the package to align the first side sealer with a centerline of the package; and adjust a horizontal distance between the first side sealer and the package based on the determined width of the package.
 15. The automatic packaging machine according to claim 14, further comprising: a vertical rail supporting the first side sealer, wherein the first side sealer is configured to move in a vertical direction along an axis of the vertical rail; and a horizontal rail, wherein the first side sealer is configured to move in a horizontal direction along an axis of the horizontal rail.
 16. The automatic packaging machine according to claim 14, wherein the first side sealer includes an upper assembly including: a drive motor having a rotatable drive shaft; an upper drive belt drivingly coupled to the rotatable drive shaft; and a knife disposed alongside the upper drive belt and configured to cut the pliable film as the pliable film is transmitted past the knife via the upper drive belt.
 17. The automatic packaging machine according to claim 16, wherein the first side sealer includes a lower assembly including: a drive motor having a rotatable drive shaft; and a lower drive belt drivingly coupled to the rotatable drive shaft of the lower assembly, the lower drive belt being in opposing relation with the upper drive belt.
 18. The automatic packaging machine according to claim 17, further comprising first and second jaw members disposed in front of the upper and lower assemblies, wherein the first and second jaw members are configured to move between a spaced-apart configuration in which the pliable film is received therebetween, and a closed configuration to guide the pliable film to between the upper and lower drive belts.
 19. The automatic packaging machine according to claim 14, further comprising a trim belt disposed alongside of the first side sealer and configured to receive a trimmed portion of the pliable film from the first side sealer and to discard the trimmed portion.
 20. A method of encasing a package in a pliable film, the method comprising: conveying a package along a horizontal path to engage a leading end portion of the package with a leading end portion of a pliable film; severing a trailing end portion of the pliable film along an axis that is perpendicular to the horizontal path, thereby forming a discrete segment of the pliable film; automatically adjusting a vertical position of first and second side sealers relative to the package based on a predetermined height of the package; automatically adjusting a horizontal distance between the first and second side sealers based on a predetermined width of the package; and guiding first and second lateral sides of the discrete segment of the pliable film into the respective first and second side sealers, whereby the first and second side sealers sever the first and second lateral sides of the discrete segment of the pliable film. 